2013 Life Teen Annual Appeal: Expect Miracles

Current: $353591

Goal: $300,000

Daily Readings

Daily Inspiration

Daily LOL

Hear me, O islands,listen, O distant peoples.The LORD called me from birth,from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.He made of me a sharp-edged swordand concealed me in the shadow of his arm.He made me a polished arrow,in his quiver he hid me.You are my servant, he said to me,Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,Yet my reward is with the LORD,my recompense is with my God.For now the LORD has spokenwho formed me as his servant from the womb,That Jacob may be brought back to himand Israel gathered to him;And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,and my God is now my strength!It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,to raise up the tribes of Jacob,and restore the survivors of Israel;I will make you a light to the nations,that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.In you, O LORD, I take refuge;let me never be put to shame.In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;incline your ear to me, and save me.R. I will sing of your salvation.Be my rock of refuge,a stronghold to give me safety,for you are my rock and my fortress.O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.R. I will sing of your salvation.For you are my hope, O Lord;my trust, O God, from my youth.On you I depend from birth;from my mother’s womb you are my strength.R. I will sing of your salvation.My mouth shall declare your justice,day by day your salvation.O God, you have taught me from my youth,and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.R. I will sing of your salvation.

Verse Before the Gospel

Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,was reclining at Jesus’ side.So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,“Master, who is it?”Jesus answered,“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,son of Simon the Iscariot.After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,“Buy what we need for the feast,”or to give something to the poor.So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said,“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,and he will glorify him at once.My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”Jesus answered him,“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,though you will follow later.”Peter said to him,“Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crowbefore you deny me three times.”

I think it’s easy to read the Bible like it’s a history book. Moses parted the sea, Jesus died on a cross, Columbus sailed across the ocean. I know it’s more than an account of historic events but I often struggle to see how it applies to my life. “They” (that collective, scholarly, holy group […]

God reveals His love for us in incredible ways. Sometimes, it’s through the words we hear: a homily at Mass that makes us feel like God Himself has taken over the mic to speak individually to us, or a talk that says exactly what we need to hear, exactly when we need to hear it. […]

There is nothing quite like the love that a mother has for her child. She pours herself out for her child day in and day out, from infancy, to childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood. Our mother’s love for us, Mary’s love for us, began at the Annunciation – it began at her faithful willingness […]

There are five specific dangerous diseases that have taken hold of our generation’s structure of the common dating relationship, abusively remodeling it’s makeup, just as I violently shake and squeeze the Hershey’s bottle when it’s down to the last drops because someone abused the basic human right of chocolate syrup. I have experienced each of […]

I work with hundreds of teens every year and when it comes to confirmation, theres a handful of teens that dive in with their whole heart. They’ve had powerful experiences of God working in their life–so much so that going to confession, mass, and Eucharistic Adoration are at the top of their to do list. […]

Whether we want to be a scientist or a lawyer or a football player, we want to be great. That’s a good thing because we are called to greatness by God. However, every great doctor or athlete or plumber or teacher had someone coach them. If we’re going to be able to face the challenges and do what seems impossible in manhood today, we need a coach.

I’ve got to hand it to you guys: you are so, so creative. I have a lot of friends who are teens, since I work with teens full-time and volunteer at my parish’s youth ministry. And I love watching my newsfeeds blow up with these crazy, over-the-top “promposals.” You know, where you cover a person’s […]

Story time! Grab your blanket or favorite comfort item (iPhones are not an option). Ready? Once there was a teenager. He was happy and young and free and didn’t worry about things like “religion” or “God” or “right and wrong.” His parents were Christian, but they didn’t teach him much about it. And then, one […]

Here we are again. Lent — a season for Christians that often brings thoughts of despair, loneliness, and (sometimes unwilling) sacrifice. We focus on what we are going to give up — maybe it’s ice cream, maybe it’s Netflix, maybe it’s picking your nose in public — whatever “it” is, and I often go through […]

When I was a teenager, sleepovers almost always included the following things: M&M’s and pretzels, movies, styling each other’s hair and animated discussions about school, boys and church. I lived in South Carolina — a state whose population was only 3% Catholic — so while almost everyone went to church, I was often the only […]

Q: If I am called to marriage, how do I know that, if I wait with trust and patience for a true gentleman to pursue me the way I deserve, God will send me someone? What if the person God has intended for me to marry is actually a less mature “diamond in the rough”? […]

I can remember being a freshman in high school, hearing the word “abortion,” and having no idea what it was. I was walking through the streets of Washington DC with hundreds of thousands of other people. They were chanting and waving signs and praying fervently. My toes were freezing and I would’ve sworn two of […]

“Ready or not, here I come!” That was the anthem of my childhood. Growing up, Hide-and-Seek was the one game that my five siblings and I would always agree on. Despite how much I hated to be “it”, I remember feeling so much power as I finished shrieking numbers and could finally open my eyes. […]

I don’t believe in soulmates. I’m serious. And no, these aren’t just the bitter words of an unmarried woman. Trust me, I can’t wait to get married, but I’m not waiting around for “my soulmate.” But Michelle, what about all those movies where the girl and they guy find “the one?” The Lie Honestly, I […]

Lent is a time to remember Jesus’ 40 days of temptation in the desert, to place ourselves in His shoes, and to realize that each temptation we face over these next 40 days is a dying to oneself. Each temptation is a mini crucifixion that, although painful, leads us one step closer to the glory of Resurrection.

Two weeks ago, I woke up to no less than nine sticky notes posted in the bathroom. Each of them, brightly colored, framed the mirror above my sink. It took me a moment to realize they were even there (I am not a morning person) and another couple of minutes to take in the messages […]

Lent is here! This past Ash Wednesday marked my one year anniversary with attending daily mass! For Lent last year I decided to stray away from my traditional “giving up” of a loved worldly item, like eating out or going on Facebook. (One year I gave up all junk food, sweets, and soda. My diet […]

The other day I was getting ready to go on a date with my boyfriend and as I was thinking about what I was going to wear and how I was going to do my hair, I realized Lent is less than 10 days away. I felt a little bad that in my last 10 […]

The following list is for you to use as a starting point in your journey to decide whom your “Confirmation saint-buddy” will be. Pick a saint who speaks to you somehow. Know their story. But, mostly know the power of their prayer. Ask for their intercession like you would ask for the prayers of your friends. Saying “yes” to a Confirmation saint is like saying “yes, you may always pray for my poor and weary soul.”

I was given an assignment for my theology class to create a mosaic. We had to recreate the icon of our choice. I instantly knew that I wanted to do Saint André. He is my patron saint and affects my daily life. As I was doing this project, which took all day to complete, I […]